I'm Cathy, a former kindergarten teacher with a passion for early learners. Providing our earliest learners with tools, instead of excuses, can empower these students with success! I also LOVE teacher training and providing meaning professional development that can be used in classrooms immediately.

August 31, 2016

You've heard it before, "My child can read anything you put in front of him, but he can't remember it or talk about it." As many of you have tried to explain this is an example of word calling because reading by definition implies comprehension.
Well, it happened to me today. No, I don't mean another parent told me about their "reader," I mean it actually happened to me.

What????

This is our teacher back to school week. You know what that means...meetings, planning, meetings, testing, meetings, scheduling, meetings...and it goes on and on. It is almost a relief when the students come back because our schedules can become routines and consistency rules. Another thing you need to know about my school is that we have a "California-style" school building in Coastal Virginia, that is, all the first and second grade classroom doors open to the outside. We only have 2 main hallways in the main building, but the outside "hallways" are actually sidewalks. Last year, our AWESOME Assistant Principal painted green paw prints on the path to the kindergarten classes...so the kindergartners follow the paws and don't get lost.

Yesterday in the middle of the day, I walked outside my office and down the sidewalk to the main building...a walk I do at least ten times a day. I had several things on my mind and I was making a list as I was walking. When I got to the main building door, I read the sign and finally READ the sign. Oh no! WET PAINT! I looked at the bottoms of my shoes to see if I had walked through the paint. When I looked back there were 5...yes, I said 5 signs I had walked past and "read." THEN, when I got to the last one, I actually READ the sign. Finally, there was comprehension. The PTA had added yellow paw prints to the path.

What an stark realization...this is what students are doing all the time. They are "reading" the signs and not processing ANY of the information...even though they might have read the same passage several times. We have to make sure they are reading WITH comprehension. We need to make sure we are providing them with comprehension strategy instruction and practice. Students also need accountability with silent reading, so we can make sure it is ACTUALLY reading.

The next time someone says someone can "read anything," but "can't talk about it..." think about my Wet Paint sign. It took me 4 signs before I actually comprehended what I was walking past.

By the way, I didn't walk in the paint, but I'm sure that was accidental.

Then, I finally figured it out. Listening Center is another center that once the process is taught…you’re golden. Listening Center is a beginning center. That is, the students who are going to the Listening Center go there at the beginning of center time.

By making sure they started at listening center, everyone heard it together...and then moved on. A small group of heterogeneously grouped students listened to the tape - WITHOUT headphones. The volume was low, but everyone else in the room could hear the tape. During this time, I did running records for the day. I don't pull any groups until after the story, so that no one misses the story.

What does work...I promise!

Now, I use listening center as another way to practice comprehension. I choose one book PER MONTH! That’s right…just 1. Students also have all the materials they need in one place. The students have 4 opportunities to hear the book, while the product for each week is different.

Setting the Weekly Goal

Students are asked on Week 1 to enjoy the book. They listen to the book for it's entertainment value. After listening to the story, they get a folded piece of 12 x 18 manila paper and write the title and the author on the cover of their booklet. At the beginning of the year, I write the title and author on sentence strips for the students to reference at the table. Once I got a SmartBoard, I wrote the title and author on the SmartBoard for student reference. Towards the middle of the year, I teach them to write the title using the books. They also illustrate the book.

Students listen to the story again, but this week the goal is to listen for characters. Students will write the main character names and either illustrate the characters or glue provided pictures from the story. At the beginning of the year, we decide who the main characters are as a group and I write the names on sentence strips. As the year progresses, they write the character names independently. You can provide post-it note flags so they can flag the character names.

Students listen to the story again. This week's goal is all about the setting. Students will write about the setting in the story and write a phrase. At the beginning of the year, we decide what the main setting is as a group and I write it on a sentence strips. They can get a "bonus sticker" if they can tell two different settings.

Students listen to the story a final time and write a response to the story. At the beginning of the year, I provide the sentence starter, “I like it when…” We can also use starters: I do not like it when ..., My favorite part is..., The funny part is..., you get the idea.

Changing my listening center from a weekly book to a monthly book helped my students with reading comprehension. My students could have book talks about the characters, setting, and events easily. It also helped with my sanity.

August 22, 2016

Read Alouds are by definition "read aloud" to your students, but it isn't just about reading the book. It's about showing students how they can be entertained by books AND learn from books. Reading aloud can contain lessons on story elements, story comprehension, author discussions, vocabulary and everything else in reading. It can be the highlight of the day, if you take a few minutes to plan and pre-read your Read Aloud.

1. Plan Think Alouds

Books can be read for entertainment, but if you are reading for a purpose make a plan. If you are pre-reading, make a plan. Using post-it notes is an easy way to leave notes for yourself. Jotting down key words on the post it notes or listing a question for your students at each place in the book, can create a calm read. Stellaluna is a great way to each Compare and Contrast. Stellaluna is different from her bird "brothers and sisters," but they had some things in common, as well. Knowing you are going to teach Cause and Effect the read aloud helps you engage your students in the book and make connections.

2. Plan Vocabulary

Most of you know my love of the Magic Tree House books. I could probably teach any skill using these books...but they are great for vocabulary. We read a Magic Tree House book in 11 days. The first day is all about vocabulary, then it's a chapter a day with summaries and predicting and fun. During the introduction day, we discuss any vocabulary they may need to fully understand the book. In the book, The Knight at Dawn, we discuss the difference between night and knight, the words relating to castles (Great Hall, dungeon, Armory, and more) and the word "precipice." We define it, model it, and own it before we read the book, then when we are reading the vocabulary doesn't stop comprehension.

3. Practice Rhythm

Some books need practice. The Three Ninja Pigs is a great retelling of The Three Little Pigs. It is fun and the students love the story. However, the entire book is written in limerick. You need to practice the rhythm of the book, so students will be able to enjoy the rhythm and the story.

4. Practice Story Language

Flossie and the Fox is one of my favorite books. It is another retelling of Little Red Riding Hood, but is set in the south and is written using an old south dialect. There are examples of non-standard English, so the reader needs to understand the story language, so it doesn't effect the comprehension or entertainment of the story.

"All due respect, Miz Cat, but both y'all got sharp claws and yellow

eyes. So...that don't prove nothing, cep'n both y'all be cats."

~Patricia McKissack

I also had the distinct pleasure of meeting Patricia McKissack several years ago and she was a fantastic speaker and it made me love her books even more.

5. Understand Emotions

This is special to me...because I made the classic mistake of NOT pre-reading this book before I read it in front of my students. I had ordered the book from Scholastic years ago and was so excited to read it when I got it, I didn't pre-read the book. This is truly one of my favorite books, but by the end of the story, I was crying. Yep. Crying. My emotions were slowly building with the friendship of the 3 main characters, story of Mr. Kodinski's shop and his back story, the disappointment on Miss Eula's face and how the children decide to help Mr. Kodinski when they didn't have to. But at the end, when it says,

"Winston, Stuart, and I are all grown up now. We lost Miss Eula some time back,

but every year we take some chicken soup up to Mountain

View Cemetery and do just what she asked."

Oh, goodness. I'm tearing up just typing that. So trust me, pre-read so you don't start the "snurping cry" in front of your students.

6. Anything Objectionable?

Finally, this is one of my favorite reasons to pre-read the book. This book was in our leveled library and a teacher came to me frantic one day to take the book OUT of the book room. She had not pre-read the book and she had shared it with her group of second graders. The book is a standard retelling of Little Red Riding Hood, but it's a little "real." The huntsman "slices" the belly of the wolf with his axe to help Grandma and Little Red out of his belly. Grandma is a little rattled by the close quarters of the wolf belly, so she has a glass of wine (the wine and bottle are in the illustration). The huntsman takes home the pelt of the wolf to hang on his wall. Yep, pre-reading is important.

***Note: I didn't take it out of the literacy library, I put a "warning" label on the cover.

I hope I have inspired you to pre-read your Read Aloud. Making the most of the story, can capitalize on your instruction and showcase quality writing.

I just found a website about reading aloud and I love it. It is www.readaloud.org. There are lots of downloads and explanations about how and why to read aloud to your child 15 minutes everyday. Check it out!

August 12, 2016

I have been asked more than once about this. What does it all mean? These readings for students are VERY different. Each type of reading has a specific reason for doing them, what information we get from them, and when we do them. Each reading has a value and a place in instruction. I'm hoping this will provide clear answers (and maybe a reference for the future).

Cold Read

In the world of psychics, a cold read is what the psychic can tell you about your future without having any information from you. It's the same in the world of reading. What can I glean from what they can do independently? What do they know? The introduction is usually scripted and limited to a sentence or two. We are asked to observe what they can do independently...without instruction. Are they using strategies? Is this level a comfortable level for reading; therefore, opening the door for instruction.

A cold read is done infrequently...usually three times a year (beginning, middle, and end of the year). It is also usually done using a specific Benchmarking system (Fountas and Pinnell Benchmark Assessment System, Rigby, Reading A to Z, Next Step Guided Reading Assessment, Independent Reading Assessment and many more). Our school uses the Fountas and Pinnell Benchmark Assessment System, but I have used others in the past. The books provided are unpracticed, that is, students are given a book they have never seen before to read and discuss. The accuracy, fluency, and comprehension point to an instructional level.

Warm Read

A warm read is the reading assessment used most frequently with students. These assessments can be called running records. Students at levels A-M or DRA levels 1-28 should expect a running record anywhere from one time a week (below level readers) to one time a month (above level readers). This is an oral assessment of a previously taught and practiced book or a portion of a previously read book. The running record is typically the day after the book is given. Students have gotten an introduction, a vocabulary lesson, and practice reading the book in small group instruction. The students practice independently when they have time (after work is completed or during independent reading time). Books should not be sent home for practice before a running record. The running record is used to determine how well the students understood the lessons from the day before, how they use their decoding and comprehension strategies. Teachers can take note of progress on a particular strategy.

The running record is an integral part of small group instruction. Each day a running record one student is given a running record at the beginning of the lesson. When students come to my small group table, I ask one to read the book from the day before and the others can read from their bag of books (the previously 5 books), but not the book from the day before. After the running record, I introduce the new book for the day.

After the group leaves, you must take the time to analyze the running record. Analyzing their errors is the perfect way to determine what they need. It will tell you what skills are weak and what lessons will make them stronger, but that's another post for another day.

Hot Read

I had a teacher tell me that running records were not useful. Her students always made 100% and it didn't give her any useful information. My first thought was her students must be leveled incorrectly, but when I continued to question the teacher she explained she only did running records on Fridays. I was confused. I continued to question her. Yep, on Friday she did all the running records from the week. She had sent the books home for homework, she had required students to read the books to each other, and she had required the books to be read during daily independent reading time. Oh goodness. That's a hot read. She was right, there was no value in THOSE running records, because they weren't geared for instruction.

However, there is a value to a hot read, but it isn't instructional information for reading levels. BUT, use hot reads for fluency practice. Once students are familiar with the book, they can practice for expression, inflection, and intonation.

Go Forth and Assess

I hope this post gives you a clear explanation of these readings. Using cold reads, you can determine where instruction should begin. Using warm reads, you determine student progress at that level. Using hot reads, you can make the reading fluent. Each reading has a purpose.

August 6, 2016

As students progress in the use of decoding strategies, introducing "Chop the Ending" is added. Students need to have an understanding of base words and endings BEFORE you attempt to teach this strategy.

Recognizing a base word is a critical skill for readers. Having students "Look for Pieces They Know" can lead to discussions about word endings, like in the word "sees." Students may be quick to find the piece they know ("see"). When you ask them to "Chop the Ending" they will cover the ending, say the word, then add the ending to read the word. There are 3 steps to practicing this strategy.

1. Teach the Endings

The only way students can tell the difference between "Look for Pieces You Know" and "Chop the Ending" is to teach the endings. I would never suggest teaching all the endings at once, but teaching them as they come across the word in their reading. The headings students will typically see are on the chart below:

I made header pictures to display on our small group reading board. It can be a quick reference for using this strategy.

2. Practice with Picture Support

I made two levels of practice cards to help students practice this strategy. After teaching the endings, they would practice with small cards in small group. The cards have an ax under the ending, to help students "see" the ending easier. You can put 1 card in each guided reading basket, when they are finished with the card, they can pass it to their right and continue practicing with several cards.

3. Practice without Picture Support

The next level of cards is just words, no picture cues. Students practice this with the same procedure as before.

As with any skill or strategy, students must be able to tell you about the strategy in their own words. Here's a quick video of "J" telling me about this skill.

Make sure your students are practicing the strategy by pulling words from their reading to "Chop the Ending." They can even record the found words with endings in a journal.

Don't forget to add the icon to the Strategy Mat, when they are using the strategy.

August 5, 2016

I had a group of kinders who needed some concrete help in using the early fix-it strategies. So, we had a strategy mat...and you're gonna want them next year!

The 3 students in the group were not using any strategies. That is, except the "Stop and Stare at your Teacher" strategy. UGH. You've had those kids that truly believe YOUR role is to TELL them the words they need. The scarier part is the teachers who let them believe that is actually a strategy.

Strategies From the Beginning

From the first moment we hand a student a book in our reading groups, we also have to hand them a strategy. Any student can be an independent reader if they are taught to be independent from the beginning. During the introduction of the book, we discuss pictures and even take a picture walk. Make sure you are saying the words, "Look at the Picture." I always ask the students what they see in the picture and what we know from the picture.

Make a Strategy Mat

It's not hard...quite silly actually. I cut a 12x18 construction paper into a 12x12 square just because 6 fit on the table better than a full size sheet of paper. When I gave it to the students, I called it a Strategy Mat. We discussed the meaning of a the word "strategy" and said it was a fancy word for a "plan." We all need plan. So we added the picture icon for "Look at the Picture." A strategy that comes close on the heels of "Look at the Picture" is "Get Your Mouth Ready." We quickly added this strategy because students can quickly understand to "Look at the Picture" and "Get Your Mouth Ready." As you introduce strategies, they add the strategies to the mat.

They can keep the mat with them or you can make Strategy Bookmarks to keep in their Book Boxes, but regardless, please don't add the pictures until you've introduced it and practiced it. Before every book I say, "What do we do if we come to a word we don't know?" I want them to tell me each of the strategies they will use. I also ask after they finish ready if they can tell me when they used a strategy. I have lessons for introducing all of the strategies in my TPT store. You are welcome to check them out.

I hope I have given you good reasons to have a Strategy Mat with your earliest readers. It can make emergent readers independent from the beginning...and if they are you can take a bow.

If you would like a copy of the strategy icons below, CLICK HERE or click the picture below.

August 3, 2016

Another strategy relies on students to understand that they know a lot...and teach them how to use it.

Most people know this as "Look for Chunks" and they have a piece of cheese. It never made sense to me. I didn't know many kids who even knew that cheese came in chunks...they see either cheese slices for grilled cheese or shredded cheese on tacos. If we are trying to teach kids to make connections, I had a hard time explaining this. BUT, they know puzzles.

Make the Connection

Using puzzles, students can easily see how all the pieces make a picture. If a piece is missing, something in the picture is missing. The same can be practiced with the strategy, "Look for the Pieces You Know." When we use their strategy mat, we move down the strategies. Look at the Pictures, Get Your Mouth Ready, Slide and Sound, Skip and Reread, then...Look for Pieces You Know. Using the word "jam," I would ask the students, "What do you know?" I want them to see the word "am" in the word. I ask them to cover the "j" and to say the word "am." Then, go back and Get Your Mouth Ready.

Small Group Practice

As with all the strategies, we need to have students practice using the strategy in a controlled way first. Using the cards with puzzles highlighting the smaller "known" word. Students can practice 2 or 3 cards a day for a week. Then, use the cards that ask the students to circle the known piece. The important part of the task isn't decoding necessarily, it's finding the smaller "pieces" in words.

There is more than one piece in a puzzle.

Just like the heading says, there can be more than one piece to look for in a puzzle. Students must practice looking for pieces in words, but every word doesn't have a smaller word in it. Some words can be connected to families (-ap, -ay, -ight, etc.) Some words can be connected with blends or digraphs in the beginning and ending place. Some words have more than one piece they know. Words like "shout" are great examples of more than one piece having meaning. The students can identify the "sh" and the "ou" has the sound in house.

Practice Makes Permanent

Using cards to help students practice is a great start; however, students can also find words in their stories and books that have smaller pieces they know. Having time during small group instruction can make this strategy invaluable. When they are ready, make sure the icon is added to their Strategy Mat.

If you'd like a FREE sample of the strategy cards CLICK HERE or click the picture below.

If you'd like purchase the whole set for $2.00 CLICK HERE or the picture below.